1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a conveying device and an image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
For image forming apparatuses such as copiers or printers, a technology has been proposed for accurately transferring an image carried on an image carrier, such as a photosensitive drum or an intermediate transfer belt, onto a desired position of the recording medium. In such a technology, after skew of a recording medium is corrected with an aligning member such as a gate (a plate-shaped member) or a pair of registration rollers, the recording medium is conveyed to a transfer unit.
Japanese Patent No. 2893540 discloses a conventional technology in which, after the leading edge of a recording medium is positioned by an aligning member, registration rollers at downstream of the aligning member moves in the width direction while holding the recording medium. Thus, misalignment of the recording medium in the width direction (direction perpendicular to a direction in which the recording medium is conveyed) is corrected, and the recording medium is conveyed to a transfer unit.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-265097 discloses another conventional technology in which, after skew of a recording medium is corrected by an aligning member, the recording medium is conveyed to a transfer unit by registration rollers located upstream of the aligning member.
With the conventional technologies, however, a recording medium bumps into the aligning member for skew correction, which may cause damage to the leading edge of the recording medium or buckling of the recording medium (see FIG. 7). This tendency is noticeable when a recording medium such as a thin or brittle sheet is used.
Especially, in high-speed image forming apparatuses, a recording medium is conveyed at high speed and bumps into the aligning member with a larger impact. This is not negligible.